University of Connecticut Athletics
Dailey, Penders Honored With Gold Key Awards
10/16/2022 6:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Baseball
STORRS, Conn. -Â The present and past of UConn Athletics were part of the celebration on Sunday as the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance presented its prestigious Gold Key awards at the 80th Annual Gold Key Dinner in Southington.
Chris Dailey, the current associate head coach of the UConn women's basketball program, and Tom Penders, a two-sport star at UConn in the 1960s before his longtime college basketball coaching career, were two of the honorees at this year's event.
Also receiving Gold Key awards from the CSMA were 1990 World Series champion Rob Dibble, Stonington High School tennis coach George Crouse and past PGA of America president Suzy Whaley.
Numerous other awards honoring state residents were also presented at the dinner, which raises funds for the Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Media Scholarship.
Dailey has been at UConn for 37 seasons and has been instrumental in assisting head coach Geno Auriemma build the Huskies into the best women's basketball program in the country, with 11 NCAA Championships and 55 conference titles.
The coordinator of UConn's highly-successful recruiting efforts, Dailey served as the Huskies' primary assistant coach from 1985-1988 before being promoted to associate head coach in 1988.
A New Jersey native and Rutgers graduate, Dailey was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2018, one of the first assistant coaches to earn the honor. She has also has been inducted into the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the New Jersey Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame and been honored with the NJSWA's Distinguished Service to Basketball Award and the Joe Lapchick Character Award.
Penders was part of one of the most successful eras in UConn basketball and baseball history.
The Stratford, Conn., native was the point guard for the basketball Huskies under Coach Fred Shabel from 1964-67 as they compiled an impressive 56-18 overall record (.757), with three Yankee Conference titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. He scored 627 career points and shot .439 overall.
As the starting centerfielder for the baseball Huskies, he played 61 games, hitting .244 with seven doubles, five triples, one home run and 23 RBIs and helped the 1965 team reach the College World Series. He is one of the few athletes to play in both the NCAA Tournament and the College World Series.
But it is as a college basketball coach that Penders is best known. Starting in 1971, Penders coached for 39 years with seven different programs – Tufts, Columbia, Fordham, Rhode Island, Texas, George Washington and Houston. He compiled 649 overall career wins, including 12 victories in the NCAA Tournament.
The Gold Key honors men and women with ties to the state of Connecticut who have made significant contributions and/or achieved excellence in the field of athletics as a player, coach or administrator.
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